The expectations humans have of a pleasurable sensation asymmetrically shape neuronal responses and subjective experiences to hot sauce.

ABSTRACT: Expectations shape our perception, profoundly influencing how we interpret the world. Positive expectations about sensory stimuli can alleviate distress and reduce pain (e.g., placebo effect), while negative expectations may heighten anxiety and exacerbate pain (e.g., nocebo effect). To investigate the impact of the (an)hedonic aspect of expectations on subjective experiences, we measured neurobehavioral responses to the taste of hot sauce among participants with heterogeneous taste preferences. By identifying participants who "liked" versus those who strongly "disliked" spicy flavors and by providing contextual cues about the spiciness of the sauce to be tasted, we dissociated the effects of positive and negative expectations from sensory stimuli (i.e., visual and gustatory stimuli), whic

SUBMITTER: Luo Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11460714 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature